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Young Girl Reading by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796–1875)
"Sophie’s world": a journey through philosophy
From ancient myth to modern existentialism
A ceremonial bull skull fixed upon a rustic wooden frame beneath a turbulent sky in Mexico, reflecting the lingering presence of ancestral belief systems
The real terror in 'Never Whistle at Night'
The indigenous anthology that taught us that the real horror is inhumanely human
A composite vision of power, wealth, and ideological domination—three ancient archetypes of tyranny standing above a world shaped by fear, spectacle, and human suffering
The making of the modern tyrant
Power, ego, and the enduring legacy of Pharaoh, Nimrod, and Qarun
The Iliad by Homer in a library
Homer as political theory and geopolitical allegory
War, revenge, and the poet
"The School of Athens," by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (between 1509 and 1511). Power and leadership were always relevant discussion topics, inspiring many great thinkers throughout history
Can leaders stay ethical as power shifts incentives?
The question that has challenged thinkers from Plato to Niccolò Machiavelli
The signing of landmark civil rights legislation in the 1960s marked a pivotal moment in U.S. civil rights history, one of Ramparts Magazine's concerns
Ramparts Magazine’s revolutionary rhetoric
Ramparts Magazine was both a product and purveyor of a revolutionary age
A digital painting of an old clock transforming into a melting form, in the surrealist style of Salvador Dalí
The mystery of time between illusion and reality
Do we really live in the present?
Arundhati Roy at a lecture at Harvard University in 2010
“This is India, my dear”: on Arundhati Roy’s memoir
From literary stardom to lifelong dissent, this is the story of a writer who chose political risk over comfort, and moral clarity over silence
A manuscript illustration (18th c.) of the Kurukshetra War, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, recorded in the Indian epic Mahābhārāta
Chiranjeevatva in Indian mythology
Cosmic duty, immortality, and the continuity of dharma
Man wearing a cowboy hat and black coat, seen from behind, Berlin, Germany
Wolfgang Jäger and the politics of kindness
An anthropology of belonging in Berlin
A garden can be a place, a state of mind, or a symbol for growth, peace, abundance, creativity, or spiritual life
Thoughts on the fragmentation of the world
If the world is like a garden, the soil is being prepared for a deep blooming of empathy and love
A solitary figure stands at the crossroads of modernity, choosing autonomy amid systems that demand obedience
There is no crisis of reason, only a crisis of subjecthood
Reclaiming autonomy as the structural condition for rationality in a post-transcendent age
An intimate literary still life evoking HoleniaPoesia’s mission to recover forgotten voices, where aged books, manuscripts, and early twentieth-century journals turn poetry into memory, resistance, and rediscovery
Inside Holeniapoesia’s literary mission
A passionate literary project restoring forgotten poets, overlooked voices, and poetry as an act of memory and resistance
A Hindu temple in Rajasthan, India
The long history of a symbol and its Western distortions
Before the Swastika was hijacked
Space archaeology satellite imagery revealing archaeological sites and ancient landscapes from space, including aerial views of lost and buried cities
What ancient bones reveal about human history
How satellites and DNA technology are rewriting the story of humanity
A Komboskini resting on a Bible, symbolizing faith and unceasing prayer
A guide to Orthodox prayer and spiritual warfare
The Komboskini as a spiritual weapon
Joy preserved the sense of identity and humanity
Untold and untaught history: the power of joy
It became a form of strength, connection, and quiet defiance
Two exchange language students in white T-shirts working in an office in front of a world map
What language do you dream in?
Fluency in a foreign language isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being understood
General Dwight Eisenhower visits the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in 1946
Did Eisenhower meet aliens?
The president's secret UFO meeting
Man gazing into a mirror, gripping his face in confusion
What does it mean to be a man today?
From inherited roles to self-reflection in an age beyond traditional masculinity
Two beautiful modern women with short hairstyles and glasses, wearing white pants, smile, hug, and hold red gift boxes against a pink backdrop
Mother’s day gift ideas for every type of mom
From elegant spa days to creative workshops, discover experiences and gifts that truly celebrate her
Man reflecting on family memories in a black-and-white photograph
When labels become walls
The power of language to shape conflict, limit empathy, and define which suffering is acknowledged
Four women dressed in vibrant gyaru fashion with dramatic makeup and statement accessories, reflecting unapologetic self-expression
The Japanization of societal rebellion through subcultures
Tracing how Western influences are adapted, stylized, and reborn within Japan’s youth-driven subcultures
A visual interpretation of the divided identity and moral conflict at the heart of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Good and evil in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Secrecy, morality, and the divided self
The USA–Mexico border wall in Southern California, cutting through the mountains
What if Jesus were a refugee?
If He were at the border, He wouldn’t be building a wall
The Vietnam War Monument in Westminster’s Sid Goldstein Freedom Park is a memorial honoring the soldiers who fought and died in the Vietnam War. The yellow flag with three red stripes is a symbol of a lost homeland and resistance
Ramparts Magazine’s depiction of the war in Indochina
How was the United States going about the war? Should the nation be escalating or negotiating? Were American policies efficient?
A group of people in traditional Himachali attire gathered in a circle, Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India
The revered devtas of Himachal
Living gods of the Kullu Valley
Monument to Pius XII (Mar 2, 1939-Oct 9, 1958) Eugenio Pacelli by Francesco Messina, 1963
Gary L. Krupp: the other story of Pacelli
What newly examined documents reveal about Pius XII, the Vatican, and Jewish survival under nazi pressure
Khicha Puja (also known as Kukur Tihar or Narak Chaturdashi, Nepali: कुकुर तिहार) is an annual festival originating in Nepal, celebrated on the second day of the Swanti or Tihar festival (around October or November). This day, called Khicha Puja or Kukur Tihar, is dedicated to the worship and honoring of dogs, recognizing their loyalty, friendship, and service to humans
How dogs are redefining life in Kashmir
As traditions shift, dogs move from workers to companions in Kashmiri homes
The Shakta Āgamas present Shiva and Shakti in a unified vision that forms the foundation of spiritual knowledge
The Aāgamas: India’s ancient blueprint of worship
The hidden lineages, rituals, and philosophies that shaped the spiritual heart of Hindu civilization
Nowruz celebrations in the village of Handimen, Iran
Celebrating spring across cultures
Traditions around the world reflecting renewal, joy, and the rhythm of nature
Wilhelmina Vautrin is honored in both China and the United States for her bravery and compassion
Minnie Vautrin: the educator who became a shield in Nanjing
How one woman defied an army bent on atrocity
A woman immersed in prayer in the church, reflecting steadfast belief through trials
Faith against all odds
A reflection on trusting God through pain, confusion, and unanswered questions
One of Vancouver’s most recognizable natural landmarks
Slhx̱í7lsh: rainy days by a Vancouver rock
An urban tale of time, nature, and the ancient past
Squatters during the housing occupations in Kreuzberg, Berlin, 1981
Berlin after the wall, on the dance floor
How history, hedonism, and techno tourism reshaped the city
Common agreement of what a spaceship could look like if it existed
If ETs are among us, how shall we respond? How will they?
The ultimate diversity challenge
A reconstruction of life near Göbeklitepe 10,000 years ago, showing early communities cooperating with stone tools during the transition toward agriculture
Did cooperation make us human?
Shared intentionality, language, and the evolution of the social mind
The moon rising behind the horizon bringing reflection and stillness
Regaining our ability to find ourselves
Reflections on resplendence and the delicate moments we witness
Hockney’s carpet, watercolour, 16 × 12 cm, Mark Weighton, 2025
Truth, illusion, and creativity in a digital world
Libra Full Moon
A flawless, doll-like presence with carefully modified details, highlighting the illusion of perfection shaped by external approval
The pursuit of perfection and the underlying absence of it
How the need to appear flawless is reshaping identity, creativity, and relationships
A man holds a whisk over a bowl of pancake mix, working as a chef
Bias we don’t see, effects we do
What implicit bias is, how it forms, and why it still influences fairness today
The Courtyard of Louis XIV, Musée Carnavalet, Paris, France
Carnavalet: the soul of Paris in a single museum
Exploring the city’s history through art, memory, and time
Mustafa Kemal became known as “Atatürk”, which means “Father of the Turks,” and he remains a highly influential and respected figure in Turkey today © Illustration by Paola Bilancieri
The memorable trajectory of Mustafa Kemal
A hero in war, a generous leader in peace
A crown of thorns and empty church pews illuminated by light streaming through a window
Searching for God in a shared sky
A quiet Lenten meditation on faith, freedom of conscience, and the common values that unite religions
A drawing skillfully rendered by Chiara Favini
Unspoken words: Frederick II’s linguistic experiment
An inquiry into the birth of language: the extreme consequences of silence
A person waiting to catch a flipping coin, capturing the illusion of fairness behind everyday decision-making
The twisted theory of a coin toss 
How a centuries-old ritual of fairness hides a subtle physical bias
"Sunday morning in Virginia", by Winslow Homer, 1877. A family in a slave cabin with children being taught how to read from the Bible
Untold and untaught history: resistance
Performance identity versus true identity
A symbolic still life of fragile peace, where conflict, power, and hope are held in uneasy balance
What kind of peace do we want?
From Galtung to the tetralemma, rethinking peace in a world where “total peace” can mask domination, struggle, or catastrophe
A shared reverence, Karlien folding into the dunes beside ‘Diatom Bokeh’ from the Epiphanic series collaboration with Reticence Studio, photographed by Driaan Claassen
‘In the hands of creation’ with Karlien van Rooyen
An intimate exploration into clay, nature, and the human spirit
A spooky figure in a forest, representing the unknown forces humans have historically filled with cryptids and legends
Fantastic beasts and how to rationalize them 
A contemporary take on cryptids across cultures, myths, and shared fears
A windswept moor becomes the stage for Heathcliff and Catherine’s tragic bond, where love, obsession, and loss blur the line between the living and the dead in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights: the tragedy of Heathcliff
Obsession, social injustice, and the search for redemption in Emily Brontë’s dark masterpiece
Australian service members stand before the 135th Assault Helicopter Company memorial in Veterans Park on April 25, following the Anzac Day ceremony honoring the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli during World War I
How Australian war crimes shattered the Anzac myth
The murder accusations against Australia’s top soldier struck at the heart of the nation’s creation myth
Night view of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, where a large portrait of Mao Zedong hangs above its central arch
Ramparts Magazine’s take on China
Ramparts’ depiction of China originally evoked promise for Leftist movements around the globe
A statue of a young woman absorbed in her smartphone with headphones on, representing the quiet isolation created by constant digital immersion
​The lost art of conversation
Why endless messaging and social media may be weakening the deeper bonds built through conversation
Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy watching military manoeuvres in 1938
The legal construction of racism in fascist Italy
Antisemitism, racial doctrine, and the marginalization of Italian Jews
A group of friends sits around a fire pit, sharing stories in a circle during a community storytelling event
Forms of storytelling: the narrative of the 21st century
A look at how storytelling techniques are used in an age dominated by innovative technology
Children sitting on the sand in Portugal, enjoying ice cream sticks
It always begins with ice cream
On family traditions, quiet healing, and the sweetness that carries us home
A solitary poet sits lost in thought, his face lit by a soft, amber glow — a quiet reflection of Milan Kundera’s vision of the novel as a search for understanding rather than virtue
Milan Kundera and the novel beyond good and evil
When storytelling reveals truth, not morality
Sunlight shining through a leaf, representing love through one's capacity to feel love everywhere if they know how to identify it
The Sun rises every day
Today it dawned again, as always
Silena Santoni ultimately presents My Creature as a story of survival, where writing becomes an act of self-preservation
Silena Santoni and the birth of a monster
Reimagining Mary Shelley’s “year without a summer” in My Creature
A dormant, monumental engine stirs as a single luminous artifact is placed at its core, illuminating forgotten circuitry and revealing a civilization not yet finished, only awaiting its missing source of coherence
The jewel in the engine
Epistemic capital in an age of tactical noise
The living goddess Kumari returns to the Kumari Ghar after attending the Seto Machhindranath parade in Kathmandu, Nepal
The living goddess of Kathmandu
How Nepal’s centuries-old Kumari tradition walks the line between sacred heritage and the rights of a child
An elderly scholar reads intently beside a towering robot, set against a backdrop where a decaying city meets a futuristic skyline, symbolizing the tension between history, human agency, and technological destiny
Asimov’s psychohistory between determinism and freedom
Asimov’s “Foundation” saga explores how history balances destiny and human freedom while testing the power of science to shape the future
Drawing of "Eating my words" by Bruce Naumann, 1966–1967
Graphophagy: the sacred power of ingesting text
Mystical and transformative power of writing in magic, religion, and healing
A Ride for Liberty – The Fugitive Slaves, by Eastman Johnson, 1862
Untold and untaught history: pro-slavery ideology
Slavery remains an underexamined subject in American historical narratives
The little Buddha statue at the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal
Lumbini: the birthplace of Buddha
A sacred sanctuary in Nepal where history, spirituality, and peace converge
The curious mind, sustained by the critical thought of reading, seeks the answers that give shape and purpose to every human endeavor
The salvation of a question
Amin Maalouf on the indispensable role of literature, the convergence of art and business, and the critical path to a hopeful future
Painting of a male figure performing a ritual dance with crows, wearing a cloak
Rituals of survival in human culture
Dancing with death, laughing with life
Young Korean students walking on the street while studying abroad
Two paths of migration in South Korea and Australia
A comparative reflection on migration identity and inclusion
Tet decorations in the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Why the Vietnamese New Year doesn’t start on January 1st
A closer look at the lunar calendar and how people in Vietnam experience time in their own way
Carlist rebel militia during the Spanish War
Revolutions from the Enlightenment to Spain
The "longue durée" of American, Spanish and French revolutionary upheavals
The stunning brick warehouse exterior showcasing remarkable architecture
Memories of Yorkshire: a journey through time
Reflecting on life in the west riding and beyond
Pope Pius XI (left) and Pope Pius XII (right): two successive pontificates confronting the rise of Nazi racial ideology, marked by moral denunciation on one side and cautious restraint on the other
The Pope who spoke and the Pope who hesitated
Moral courage, silence, and the Catholic church on the eve of the holocaust
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman sculpture, Russia, low-angle view
Life in a Soviet mining town
Memories of Shakhtinsk, childhood freedoms, and the contradictions of promised futures
A young woman studies in a Victorian room, caught between the weight of facts and the quiet stirrings of imagination
Dickens’s critique of reason without imagination
Hard Times exposes the emotional, moral, and social costs of a world built on rigid rationality
"Suudelma" (kiss), 1916, by the Finnish painter William Rosenberg
I’m looking: a nerdy philosophical on coupling
A guide for female philosophers and thinkers whose work resonates with Carl Jung’s depth psychology
Portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli by Santi di Tito
Machiavelli’s conception of power and agency in 'The Prince'
The role of fortune in political success
A surreal image of a man submerged underwater, symbolizing the fight for breath
The hidden circuits of speech
How metaphors encode repression, reveal unconscious truths, and guide us toward self-discovery
A moment of introspection and strength that speaks to the "pride" and "power" that comes from carrying the strength and hope of generations, even when existing feels like "a battle I never asked to fight"
Too black for you, perfect for me
My journey of self-love and resilience as a black woman in America
A female writer resting her head on the table beside a laptop, looking anxious and depressed
Sabotaged by the machine, the crisis of human writing
Why writers and students are being falsely accused and what it means for creativity and trust
As dusk falls over Nagasaki, Japan, the vibrant red and yellow glow of thousands of lanterns transforms the streets into a breathtaking spectacle, inviting all to experience the magic of the Lantern Festival in the city
Radiant revelry: the Nagasaki Lantern Festival
A celebration of Chinese culture illuminating Japan’s history
The Battle at Lanka, from the Ramayana by Sahibdin, portrays Rāma’s vānara army (top left) fighting Rāvaṇa, the demon-king of Lankā, to save the kidnapped Sītā. The scene also depicts Hanumān defeating the three-headed demon general Triṣira, shown at the bottom left
Valmiki Jayanti: celebrating the birth of the Adi Kavi
Honoring the birth of Sage Valmiki, author of the Ramayana, and his enduring cultural, spiritual, and literary influence
One’s point of view, and the points of view of others, do not matter
Dissolved in an unexpected feeling of existence
The infinite multitude of living forms, the cosmos, and the stories that surround us
A futuristic cityscape where modern architecture blends seamlessly with abundant greenery and vegetation
Designing the future of becoming
How civilizations evolve from substitution to enablement
Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (USA), speaking during the session “Close Encounters with Jane Goodall and Skye Meaker” at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2019 in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2019
Jane Goodall and the silence on population
Remembering an uncomfortable truth
A symbolic still life of Asimov’s legacy, where worn volumes meet futuristic visions of robots and galaxies
Isaac Asimov’s 'History of the Future'
Ethics, psychohistory, and the making of humanity’s tomorrow
Unknown English artist Armada Portrait (1588)
The allure of strong women: the beauty
The changing shapes of feminine aesthetics
Human skulls emerging from shadow, representing history’s refusal to remain buried
The Klender experiment and Japan’s forgotten war crime
How a routine injection became a hidden wartime experiment in occupied Indonesia
Slave auctions were a central mechanism of the domestic slave trade, through which an estimated one million men, women, and children were forcibly sold and transported between 1790 and 1860
Untold and untaught history: a complex bond
The intricate relationship between enslaved people and the slave owners
The Entry of King Otto of Greece into Athens (German: Empfang König Ottos von Griechenland in Athen) is an 1839 oil-on-canvas history painting by the German artist Peter von Hess
Liberty and the human condition
A journey through faith, reason, and conscience
Christmas market beneath an illuminated Ferris wheel in Poznań, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland
Religion and spirituality in liquid modernity
How modern societies transform religion, commitment, and meaning
An artistic portrayal of the evolution of the vampire myth—Dracula’s dark, Gothic menace contrasts with the humanized, romantic figures of modern vampire lore, symbolizing the shift from fear to fascination
Monster to muse: the evolution of the vampire
How Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight transformed fear into fascination across centuries of storytelling
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba 1545 CE, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy
Queen Bilqis and the meaning of freedom
Justice, consultation, and female authority in ancient Yemen
An empty military uniform draped over a worn sofa captures the silent weight of war’s aftermath — a haunting reflection of absence, memory, and the unseen wounds of conflict
Joanna Bourke and the unmaking of the hero
Reflections on Joanna Bourke’s "An Intimate History of Killing"
The Ormoc Pier stretching into the sea, symbolising Ormoc’s role as a gateway for people, trade, and opportunity
Ormoc: the city of beautiful people and shared dreams
A city defined by its people, purpose, and promise of education
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